The $2,000,000 Defense (2 Nov. 1958)

The fate of accused killer Lloyd Ashley depends on whether or not his lawyer Mark Robson can prove that a gun can fire accidentally, even with the safety catch on.

Director:

Norman Lloyd

Writers:

William Fay (teleplay), Harold Q. Masur (short story)

Stars:

Alfred Hitchcock, Barry Sullivan, Leslie Nielsen

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Himself - Host
Barry Sullivan	...	Mark Robeson
Leslie Nielsen	...	Lloyd Ashley
Wendell Holmes	...	Mr. Herrick
Lori March	...	Eve Ashley
Herbert Anderson	...	John Keller
Edwin Jerome	...	Judge Cobb
Herbert Lytton	...	Doctor (as Herbert C. Lytton)
Ralph Barnard

Storyline

Facing the death penalty for murdering his wife's lover, Lloyd Ashley guarantees his lawyer Mark Robson $2 million if Robson gets him off, as a guilty verdict looks increasingly certain. Ashley claims the gun fired accidentally, though the safety catch was on, but ballistics expert John Keller testifies that that's impossible.

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Plot Keywords:

testify | safety catch | expert witness | counting | horse | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 November 1958 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios - 4024 Radford Avenue, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shamley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

$2,000,000 in 1958 had the same purchasing power as $15,100,000 in 2010.

User Reviews

We'll get to see the "Two Million Dollar Defense" right after our sponsor gets his two cents in.

**SPOILERS*** On trial for his life in the murder of his wife Eva's, Lorie March, lover Llyod Ashley's, Leslie Nielsen, defense is that the gun went off when his intended target Thomas Ward knocked it out of his hand in trying to defend himself. He had no intention of killing ward but only in scaring him! As the facts soon come out in the trial it looked real bad for Ashley in that it's proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the safety latch on the gun that he claims was on would make it accidentally going off or firing an absolute impossibility!

With a desperate Ashley knowing that he's cooked, or on his way to the electric chair,if convicted he tells his lawyer Mark Robeson, Barry Sullivan, to do whatever he can, legal or illegal, to prove that his gun did in fact go off accidentally with the safety latch on and offers to pay him two million dollars, on top of his normal fee, if he can accomplish that! Sure enough the very competent Robeson comes up with an air-tight scam to prove his client innocent but ends up shooting himself in his left arm to do it!

***SPOILERS*** Found innocent of all charges Ashley is now more then happy to pay Robeson the two million dollars that he earned in getting him off the hook and out of death row in gunning down Thomas Ward. But the kicker in all this is that he's just not more then willing to pay Robeson for his services in the courtroom but his actions outside of it as well!